Top 5 Teaching Resources for March

March is my favorite month -- it's full of such interesting contradictions. This year, March started with a winter storm that blanketed New York City with six inches of snow. However, by month's end, a blanket of white cherry blossoms will cover the grounds of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

It's no surprise to me that the top five teaching resources for March reflect this study of contrasts:

1. Iditarod - Race Across Alaska Student Activity
2. Dr. Seuss Author Study
3. Women's History Month Lessons and Activities
4. Spring Favorites
5. Eric Carle Author Study -- It's the 40th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Enjoy this video of Eric Carle describing how he created The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Top Ten Student Activities for February

Check out Scholastic.com's most popular interactive, multimedia units so far this February. Share these amazing activities for Black History Month with your students.

1. The Top Ten African-American Inventors
2. The Underground Railroad: Escape From Slavery
3. Clifford Interactive Storybooks in English & Spanish
4. Immigration: An Interactive Tour of Ellis Island
5. Building Language for Literacy
6. Story Starters
7. Math Hunt: Black History
8. Computer Lab Favorites
9. New! Lincoln's Bicentennial
10. Rosa Parks: How I Fought for Civil Rights

Find our Top Ten All-Time Favorite Student Activities here.

Top Ten Teaching Resources for January

This January will be one for the history books: just days after what would have been the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s  80th birthday, America's first African-American President will be sworn in.

As Inauguration Day (January 20) approaches, more teachers are visiting Scholastic.com to find the resources they need to teach about President-elect Barack Obama and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

We've tallied the results, and here are the top ten resources that teachers were looking at this past week (January 1-8):

1. Commemorate the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Inauguration Day Printables
3. Winter Fun
4. Teaching Resources for Barack Obama
5. The Greats of 2008
6. Celebrating the 100th Day of School
7. Chinese New Year
8. The Presidency of the United States
9. Book Video Library of 150+ author interviews, book trailers, and booktalks
10. 12 Ways to Energize Your Lessons

Here are more teaching Ideas for Martin Luther King, Jr. and Inauguration Day from Our Teacher Advisors:

• Our 1st grade Teacher Advisor, Jennifer Atkinson, shares her list of Inauguration web resources, including a website with Inaugural Facts & Firsts.
• In Angela Bunyi's 4th grade classroom, her government unit blends right into the real-world political scene as we welcome our 44th President, Barack Obama, through the Inauguration Ceremony on January 20th. Check out her lesson plans and direct resources for her government unit.
• Alyssa Zelkowitz, our Special Education blogger, weaves classrooom management into her lessons based on a “New Year, New President, New Expectations” theme. 
• Patty Blome, our Grades 9-12 Teacher Advisor, shares an Inaugural Poetry activity and how she uses vision boards for a meaningful take on Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
• Sandra Blair, our Grades 6-8 Teacher Advisor, shares her favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. activities.
• Marissa Ochoa, last year's Grades 3-5 Teacher Advisor, uses the message of Martin Luther King, Jr. to discuss the meaning of hopes and dreams.
• In Kechia Williams' middle school classroom, she starts a discussion with the poem “You Can Be Like Martin? -- A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." by Mildred D. Johnson.

Top Ten Teaching Resources This Week

As the holidays approach, more teachers are visiting Scholastic.com to find the resources they need to teach about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other winter holidays.

We've tallied the results, and here are the top ten resources that teachers were looking at this past week (December 3-10):

1. Teacher Activity Guide: Celebrate Winter Holidays
2. Make a Difference With Color: Language Arts Activities
3. Celebrate La Posada in Mexico Lesson
4. News from Outer Space Special Report
   
5. Fit to Print: December Bulletin Board Ideas
6. General Facts About Volcanoes
7. Seven Roles for One President
8. Celebrating Holidays in the Classroom Resources
9. Thinking Questions About Christmas
10. Religious Commemorations Around the World

Top Ten Teaching Resources This Week

As Election Day approaches, more teachers are visiting Scholastic.com to find the resources they need to teach about this historic presidential campaign. You'll also find our most popular Halloween resources.

We've tallied the results, and here are the top ten articles that teachers were looking at so far this week (October 19-22):

1. 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate
2. 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate
3. Teaching About Election 2008
4. Obama Wins Scholastic News Election Poll
5. Halloween Activity Set
6. Explore the Election: Candidates & Issues
7. Final Debate Spirited
8. Halloween Web Quest
9. Parties, Platforms, and Polls
10. Explore the Election: Electoral College

Find more free Election Day activities here, and join us for a special live webcast on Monday, November 3 at 12 p.m. ET for a conversation with the Scholastic News Kid Reporters as they recap their experiences on the campaign trail from the primaries to Election Day.

Top Ten Lessons This Week

Getting to know your students and establishing classroom rules are top priorities in the first few weeks of school.

Here are the top ten lessons that teachers are looking at this week to help students settle into the new school year:

1. The All About Me Poster (Grades 1-2)
2. Getting to Know You (Grades 6-8)
3. Writing an Autobiography (Grades 9-12)
4. People in My Neighborhood (Grades 1-3)
5. Introducing the Classroom Economy (Grades 3-5)
6. The Constitution in Today's America (Grades 5-8)
7. Pre-Write: Creating a Life Map (Grades 9-12)
8. The Relatives Came: A Family Read-Along (Grades 3-5)
9. Outlining Main Ideas and Details (Grades 6-8)
10. Voting and the Constitution (Grades 5-8)

Top Ten What Teachers Are Looking At Now

As the school year starts, more teachers are visiting Scholastic.com to find the resources they need to plan for a great first day and a successful year.

We've tallied the results, and here are the top ten articles that teachers were looking at last week (August 11-17):

1. Back-to-School Printables
2. Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension
3. Fabulous First-Day Ideas
4. Get Off to a Smart Start
5. Help Students Settle Into Your Classroom
6. Top 5 Ways to Get to Know Your Students
7. 2008 Beijing Olympics
8. Welcome to the First Day of School!
9. Back-to-School Checklist: Organizing for Success
10. Teaching About Election 2008